Disneyland and Haircuts

Crazy fun moms + Disneyland = a grand time!

I went with my mom to Disneyland for her birthday because she has sweet connections and got me in free too! It was a GREAT day to be at Disneyland! We walked on to almost every ride we wanted to go on! Star Tours, Space Mountain, AstroBlaster (Buzz Lightyear), and more. The only ride we had to wait on was Peter Pan for 20 minutes (we would have had to wait on Indiana Jones, but we got fast passes for that one).

We had a yummy lunch at Cafe Orleans. We did a little bit of shopping when we were finished with all the rides we wanted at about 2-ish. I got a t-shirt (see below), a crazy cute charm bracelet and a panda pillow to go in my bamboo forest room.



All in all it was a good day, even if, once again....my legs hurt (and they still hurt me even now).

And today, I finally got my hair cut like I've been wanting to do for a couple of months. I'm really happy with how it turned out! It's so nice and light. Mark (my hairstylist) always does such a wonderful job on my hair.

Disneyland and haircuts

Crazy fun moms + Disneyland = a grand time!

I went with my mom to Disneyland for her birthday because she has sweet connections and got me in free too!

BLIZZCON!!

Ok! People ::coughChiemicough:: have complained to me that I haven't written about the "one interesting thing" that I did this summer yes. (She seems to think I have no life and haven't done anything interesting....how sad that it's pretty much true.)

Ok, a couple weeks ago I had the chance to go to gamers heaven...BlizzCon!! So much fun and so little time to do it in! On Friday I went with Brett and Dustin and Chiemi went in another car. We had planned to meet up but that didn't happen. There were SO many people wandering around in lines outside that I had no clue where to go to get our badges and phat loot (goody bag) that we needed to get inside. We managed to find our way inside just as the opening ceremony started and that was very interesting and we got to see the trailer for the next WoW expansion and that was AWESOME!!! I'm so excited about it!!



After the ceremonies we walked around and looked at stuff a bit and then went to a panel where they discussed some features of the new expansion to come. Very interesting and it's even got Brett interested in coming back to try it out. After that we went to lunch at Coco's where we had a very mediocre lunch. Wish I had gone to the one restaurant that had a Blizzard themed menu for the weekend! McCormick and Schmick's!

After lunch we went back and I went to The Guild's panel. The Guild is an online show about people who play WoW together and I think it's funny. Brett wasn't interested and got bored so he went off to find another source of entertainment, leaving me by my lonesome. After that panel, I went to another one about WoW sine I didn't know where to find Brett and my phone wasn't working. I did see Dustin and Chiemi at that panel but they got up and left when I looked away, unfortunately since they wanted to go home about that point. I didn't know what to do so I did a little more wandering and watched the costume, sound alike and dance contests. Some people were weak, but some of them were quite impressive. If you think I have no life cuz I play WoW, these people have even less. Sad to think about.

I finally had an epiphany about 8:45 to try restarting my phone and it work and I got ahold of Dustin and Chiemi and we went home.

Saturday we went and stood for a couple more panels, went to a few booths and played the new WoW expansion demo they had. It was fun! After that I wanted to get my face painted so I waited in a long line for far too long and got my exciting WoW night elf face markings. They turned out to be very cool looking. Kinda evil. O_o



After that we were going to leave when we were stopped by someone trying to get people to his booth (as mentioned on Chiemi's blog). We went over and did our little interview (which I don't personally think is interesting enough to be posted, but what do I know?). After that we went to turn in the Intel prize cards we got walking over to the story booth. Yay for winning things and free stuff!

All in all it was a fun experience and I wouldn't mind doing it again in the future.

Don't Wake the Baby!

My mom learned not to wake a sleeping baby today. Even if they are already kinda awake when you do so. If you didn't know, we've been watching little Kyla and Arwen this week and they have been having a blast. On Monday they went out with Kellie during the day, Tuesday they went and had fun with Grandma Betty, and Wednesday they had a fun time with Vicki at the park which was followed up by lunch at Grandma B's house. And Grandma Janet took both today and tomorrow off of work to cater to the little cuties.

Christy and Tom offered to let us go swimming during the day today but my mom didn't think she could handle both girls in the pool (a wise thought). So we decided to go swimming for a little while after Christy got home from work at 6:30). Unfortunately Arwen got pretty tired and cranky in the late afternoon about 4:30-5 and we put her down for a nap. When 6:30 came, my mom woke her up (kinda, she had her eyes open) and she cried and screamed for like 15-20 minutes before calming down enough to get out of her that she wanted to go swimming (she had wanted to go swimming all day long - would only put a swimsuit on earlier). We made it over and swam for about 30 minutes before it got too cold and we came home.

Tomorrow they get to look forward to the beach with Brooke and Miya (a couple of little girls in the ward).

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jig

This morning we got up way too early and staggered out to the lobby where we were met by our driver. We had no problems at all and our flight home was horribly long and yet was comfortable. We had some yummy food on the plane which was probably our last really good French food. Then we arrived in Los Angeles and the flyway was broken and so we had to sit in the plane for almost an hour before they let us disembark. So we were kinda grumpy about that. Then we got into customs and because our flight was so late and there was a flight from Ecuador in which the customs officials were more interested they pretty much just waved us right through and as we were leaving they were bringing out the drug dogs. Gorgeous animals but I sure wouldn't want one chasing me. So we're home, tired, sore and extremely happy. A big shout out to Eddie and Andy for making our trip so wonderful. We're sitting here looking at the pictures -- boy we took a lot of them -- and I do believe that we saw a lot of things in a very short time and I wanted Eddie and Andy to know that we appreciate their organization, professionalism, friendliness and consideration. They made the trip for us and we will never forgot their kindness.

Disneyland Paris in Two Days

This morning we woke up and said our final goodbyes to Len, Lisa and Eddie and Andy -- our ABD guides -- I was very sad to see them all go. So we got in a car and drove to Paris Disneyland where we were greeted by Georges and he was quite possibly the nicest desk clerk I have ever met. Our room was not ready but he gave us UNLIMITED FAST PASSES for the duration of our stay and so off we went with Sharon to the park. It was eerily similar to Disneyland but -- as Sharon said -- more intense. Sadly the park was really crowded both days but we did our best and managed to get on all the fast pass rides and some that were not. I think my favorite ride was Phantom Manor. Pirates here does not have the Johnny Depp figures which surprised me. Small World is way more international which I really liked. Indiana Jones is a ROLLER COASTER which goes into a loop -- imagine our surprise. The first night we went to Blue Lagoon (which is DP's version of the Blue Bayou) and had a magnificent meal. Eddie (ABD guide) made the reservations for us and man we were treated like royalty -- the best seat in the house -- and the food was outstanding. Tom had an octopus carpaccio which was wonderful and the bread and my sampler plate were outstanding -- they had shrimp which were wrapped in potato strings and fried -- I'm in love!!! And then I had dessert -- chocolate mousse -- which was hard to eat because I was so full. One thing I forgot to comment about was I saw a very nice looking 11 or 12 year old girl who was dressed like Aurora -- dress, crown, shoes, gloves and a sword. Aurora the Warrior Princess. This is a new generation for sure. The second day we finished up Disneyland and went over to the Studios and saw several shows -- it was really crowded too and way less places to sit down. We went on ToT which was fun and then to the shows -- Animagique was okay -- Cinemagique was really nice -- and then we went back to the hotel and then to Walt's. Even though we were given the same royal treatment. So since we had to repack we went back to the hotel. Fun times.

Heights

This morning Tom and I got to wake up late and go to the Louvre. This was enjoying the Louvre while running a four minute mile – the highlights of the Louvre in one hour – we saw, in no particular order, Venus de Milo, the Monna (notice the French spelling) Lisa, several statues, several paintings by Michelangelo, Raphael, Da Vinci and a ton of Greek and Roman statues none of which we know what they are but will have to sort out later by the picture. Then after the Louvre we went to the bathroom which was closed so we had to go to this exclusive pay toilet which cost 1 Euro for guys and 1.5 Euro for girls. We went into the bathroom to be greeted by three GUYS who would run into your stall and spray some flowery disinfectant on your toilet seat and then they would stand there and wait until you came out and then run to disinfect the sink area with the same flowery smelling liquid. It was very VERY strange.  Then we walked up and down a billion steps to the water taxi which we took to the base of the Eiffel Tower and then we went up the Eiffel Tower to the first floor where we had a lovely lunch of chicken in a wonderful sauce with these amazing cheesy potatoes. Then we had opera cake which is basically mousse and coffee cake and a vanilla sauce. It was delicious but so rich I could only eat about half. Then I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and went up to the second floor and then to the very very TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER. We got up to the top (Tom and I got separated and so I was up on the top floor by myself) and then up to the top observation deck and I started to freak out. Fortunately my friends from the trip were there and they were able to calm me down until I found Tom and then I was okay. But it was VERY high and VERY hot and VERY crowded. And I came pretty close to a melt down. Tom was able to take a picture of some guys who were OUTSIDE THE EIFFEL TOWER PAINTING. That may have freaked me out more than anything. Then we came back to the hotel and took a nap and then we went to La Duree for dinner and oh my goodness the food was exquisite. Tom and I had a shrimp scampi brioche thing that was amazing and then we had sea bass that was also amazing and then dessert – oh my goodness the dessert was so good – Tom had a Napoleon with pastry that was so crispy that each sheet was like glass you tap it and it fell apart. I had a vanilla cream pastry that had the Napoleon pastry on the bottom and cream and cream puffs on the top with cream that was dream like. The food was outstanding. Then Tom and I came back to the hotel and we had to say goodbye to our most of our fellow travelers. That was really sad. Tomorrow we are off to Disneyland Paris with three of our friends – for friends they are now. So until tomorrow bon soir and sleep well!

Royalty and Romance

We woke up this morning late. It is so hard to have this much fun. I know. No sympathy. Okay. We got up this morning, had breakfast, and went to Versaille. If I were going to die and come back this would be where I would go. I have never seen so much gold and paintings and opulence than here.
Fantastic. Tom and I and probably 30,000 of our closest friends were invited into the king and queen’s private apartments. Almost worth being beheaded for – but not quite. So we went through Versailles and then went to La Flotille for lunch. Tom and I had the salmon wrapped in “paper” pastry and leeks and it was by far more elegant than the plain old chicken and potatoes. We’re finding on this tour that the people with the more adventurous palates are getting the better food. So we ate and then some of the group went off on a bicycle tour and we (Tom and I and Laurent (the native guide) and Eddie (the Disney guide) went and played Petanque which is the French version of bocche ball. Tom and I thought we were winning until the end and Eddie swooped up from behind – a set up at best – then we came back to the hotel and rested for a while and then we went on the Bateaux Parisienne for a dinner cruise which was quite possibly the most romantic thing Tom and I have ever done. You know, there are 37 bridges in Paris, 35 for everyone and 2 for pedestrians only but our server told us when we got to the romance bridge that if we made a wish and kissed it would come true. So Paris, we’re comin’ back. This time of year the Eiffel Tower sparkles every times it is the hour and it’s gorgeous. So we caught a taxi back to the hotel, called it a night, and tomorrow we have the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and our final dinner. That will be way WAY sad. So tonight, from Paris, in a very romantic mood, this is your Paris correspondent saying I’ll post again tomorrow.

Chunnel, Notre Dame, Chez Clement and Baton Mouche

Today began with us loading everything up and putting it out in the hall where the magic of Tinkerbell transported our luggage to France. We went to Gare du Nord to take the Eurostar to Paris. It was amazingly quick and amazingly smooth. According to Tom's GPS the trip achieved 170 or so mph. So we arrive in Paris -- they are having a demonstration. OH! I got a picture of Kings Cross platform 9-3/4 even though it is under construction at the moment although the guides told us that the actual filming of Harry Potter took place at Euston Station. We also got a pic of the longest champagne bar in the world -- it was as long as the train. So anyway when we got to Gare Du Nord they were having a demonstration which really didn't affect us any way although the guides and the local guide seemed concerned. So we bussed off to Notre Dame. Man that is a magnificent place. Oddly they allow you to take pictures in the church -- we took 450 pictures today BTW gotta love digital -- and then we walked all around the church and took pictures from every conceivable angle. We then went to a store called Shakespeare and Company Bookstore and they actually had the two Terry Pratchett books that I've been looking for with the adult covers (like the Harry Potter books only TP). In the quad in front of Notre Dame they were having a bread baking competition and Tom and I got to sample some of the bread they were making. C'est magnifique. Then we came back to the hotel where they had a welcome reception for us -- Disney always does everything so well -- and then we had about an hour's rest and we went to Chez Clement for dinner on the Champs Elysee -- that is really some VERY expensive real estate -- we had salad and baked chicken and ribs with mashed potatoes and creme brulee for dessert. It was tasty but free so it was wonderful. Then we went to the River Seine and took an evening tour and saw all the sights. As I mentioned we took 450 photos today. We have very expensive internet here so have to limit the amount of time. Tomorrow -- Versaille and Baton Parisienne for dinner -- another boat trip -- imagine twice in two days but two different companies. Baton Mouches had spiders on the outside and the guide and one girl were really totally freaking out. That part was funny. So more tomorrow. OH our hotel here in Paris is totally art deco and I need to steal the print in our room so I may be spending some time in a French prison. Hope they have good food. Okay more tomorrow.

Tower, Hard Rock, the Eye and Hamburgers

Today we went to the Tower of London -- in the pouring rain. We saw the crown jewels and the golden coronation items which have been used in ages past and the crown which the current Queen uses and the Imperial Crown of India which the Queen will use when she travels outside the UK -- she's not allowed to take the real crown jewels out of the country. They were spectacular. We saw the Koh-i-Noor diamond which is 105 carats and the Cullinen Diamond (Greater Star of India) -- almost 600 carats and the Lesser Star of India at about 300 carats. Unfortunately they wouldn't let me play with them. Then after that Tom and I came back to the hotel and we took off on the tube by ourselves to Hyde Park Corner to the original Hard Rock Cafe and we went the wrong way and ended up in some super posh neighborhood in Knightsbridge and then had to turn around and walk all the way back -- we had a super informative waiter who for some reason singled us out to tell us the entire history of the Hard Rock Cafe which was way interesting. Then after that we went to the Vault to look at Jimi Hendrix's guitar, Sting's guitar, some original lyrics from John Lennon, an original outfit from BB King -- it was wonderful. Then after that we took the tube again to Waterloo station and got to ride on the London Eye. Tom got some super great pictures from it and I sat in the middle so that I couldn't see over the side. Somes acrophobia is very inconvenient. Then we found our way back to the hotel on the tube -- we have this down now just in time to leave London -- and then we walked over to Wolfe's and had a really yummy cheeseburger. We sat and chatted with our friends Len and Lisa and laughed until our sides ached. Then we came back here and are now going to have to pack and get ready for Paris tomorrow morning. They are picking up our luggage at 7:15 AM and so we have to get up really early. So goodnight and Bienvenue Paris!

West End Theater

Tonight we went to the West End Theater District to see The Lion King. We had great seats -- row Q in the orchestra which was perfectly placed to be able to see everything. The show was fantastic (fahn-tah-stik) -- and then after the show we were able to go back stage and see the staging of the show. I do not know how they manage to do a show day after day in that small space. Fun, fun day. Oh and for those of you following our story -- it turns out that Manchester United (Britain's premier football (soccer) team) was staying in our hotel last night and the speculation was that our 2 AM visitor was connected to them. Up for tomorrow -- Tower of London, Millenium Bridge and hopefully the London Eye. Hope for good weather for us although we're doing it regardless of inclement weather.

Queens and Kings and Harrods

It all began today on an old original double decker bus. We drove around Western London (Westminster) and saw some sights. Unfortunately we couldn't get out of the bus to take pictures but we took some from the bus which mostly didn't turn out I'm sure. We saw Trafalgar Square, the Horse Guards, the government houses and then made our way to Westminster Abbey. I don't know how much news is making it back to the US but right now they are having a horrible upset here over some members of parliament and their expenses and it was interesting to actually see the buildings that we have been seeing on TV. So we went to the Abbey and have "adopted" a local expert named Steven (Stephen?) who is ultra knowledgeable and a blue badge guide which I'm guessing is some kind of distinction. So we got a bit of a history of the Church of England (which we knew from The Tudors) and saw a bunch of graves and markers. Interestingly we also saw a plaque for Jane Austen although she is not buried there nor is Shakespeare but he has a huge monument, Sir Isaac Newton, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Mary I ("Bloody Mary"), Chaucer, the Grave of the Unknown Warrior, Christopher Marlow, etc. Then we were whisked away to Buckingham Palace and saw Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens and then went to the palace for the changing of the guard. Our guides knew the exactly spot to stand to get some incredible shots of the guard marching to their barracks. You know it's a shame of modern times that all these historical buildings have to be surrounded by fences and barracades to protect them. Anyhoo -- they marched right toward us and had a little ceremony of which I hope we got some good pictures. Then we went to Harrod's to have high tea and we had some excellent tea and scones and finger sandwiches. Then we looked around Harrods and I will say I am not young enough, not thin enough and not rich enough for that store so we didn't even buy anything. It was way crowded and way expensive. So we came back to the hotel on the tube (choob) and then Tom and I took a nap. Now we are off to dinner and The Lion King. More later.

Naked Ladies and Other Stories

Dinner last night was a lot of fun -- they had a room filled with various Britishnesses and all kinds of British food like fish and chips and shepherds pie and pork chops with cranberries and other food I can't remember but it was tasty. So we waddle back upstairs take some pain meds (our feet and back hurt -- yes, already) and go to bed. At 2 AM we are awakened by the sound of someone trying very hard to get into our room and rattling the door handle and slapping the door. Tom gets up and goes to the door and through the peephole sees that there is a naked woman in the hallway trying to get into our room. So he calls the front desk to tell them that there is a naked woman in the hallway and the prize question of the day, after he convinces them that he is NOT drunk, was "Do you want me to send security?" We had a rather hard time getting back to sleep after that one. So today the schedule (pronounced shed ule) is city tour on a double decker bus, Buckingham Palace, Harrods for tea and then the Lion King at night. We will, of course, be thanking our Disney guides for the lovely 2 AM Disney surprise. :-) Will blog again later.

The British Museum

Tom and I just got back from 6.5 hours at the British Museum. It was everything we could hope for and more. Suffice it to say that whatever people have to say about Britain pillaging and looting countries for artifacts they sure have taken very good care of them. The first thing we saw were the mummies because Tom wisely knew that I would want to spend time there and so we started upstairs. After Tom noticed that I was taking a picture of every mummy in the place he, again wisely, took away the camera. And I'm sure at that point you will notice a marked improvement in the pictures. We saw the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures (the controversial part), the mummies, the Oxus Treasure, the Royal Game of Ur, the Lewis Chessmen and some samurai armour (see how quickly I'm becoming British)? We saw an Easter Island statue, a crystal skull which is apparently a fake but magnificently beautiful nonetheless -- huge, magnificent statues from Egypt -- that always reminds me of Amelia Peabody in the Mummy Case -- the Nereid Monument, the Gold dinar of Offa which they do not know why it was made but the Arabic on the coin was copied by someone who didn't know the language as the name Offa is upside down on the coin. But that is just a sample of things we saw -- but perhaps someone could explain to me why London is all up and bustling in the middle of the night. It's light and appears to be day but we're so tired it has to be night. Although we are SOOOOOO glad we came here a day early. Besides the 6.5 hours to spend at the British Museum anyway. So tonight (in an hour) we begin our tour with a welcome dinner. We had breakfast this morning with Len and Lisa (our friends we met on line through ABD) and after shouting across the restaurant we decided to just move our tables together. I don't think the restaurant staff appreciated it but hey -- we did it anyway. So onward and upward. I will try and blog again after the dinner. Oh speaking of food reminded me that we ate lunch at the museum cafe -- man it was good -- I had Thai red curry and Tom had squid pasta -- both extremely good. But don't worry about my diet -- I have walked miles and miles since I got here. At least it feels that way already. So I will post again later. Hopefully.

Amazing Indian Food and Walking Around

A quick p.s. to my last post -- tonight we went to dinner at a restaurant called Sitaaray which was outstanding -- it was a "buffet" restaurant which meant that they gave us individual portions of every food they make -- all the while you are watching Bollywood movies on the walls -- I don't know much about Bollywood but the food was amazing -- favorites included Tandoor fish, chicken and lamb (in particular the tandoori lamb with the mint yogurt sauce was a particular favorite) and the tikka masala chicken curry -- everything was so good but now I have to jump up and down to get to sleep because it was so plentiful and spicy -- they said they would have given us more of a favorite but I think if I had had seconds I would have exploded by now. I know it's only 7:30 PM here but Tom and I are drifting off even while we are drinking a glass of soda/water. Then we walked around the district of Holborn (pronounced Hoe-burn) and man oh man these people do like their cigarettes -- blech -- they can no longer sit in the bar and smoke so they group around on the sidewalk and drink their beer and smoke -- and Tom forgot his inhaler so keep a good thought for us. Oh and funny story -- there is a guy who stands in front of the hotel and makes sure that nobody else comes in that shouldn't be here -- how he knows we belong I don't know but I'm sure the American accent is a tip off. Another surprising thing is that there is a LOT LOT LOT of American fast food here -- Burger King, McDonalds, Kripsy Kreme, Subway -- I started taking pictures of them but it would have taken up the whole stick. Anyway -- going to bed now -- tomorrow -- THE BRITISH MUSEUM.

WE'RE HERE!!!

After some rather grueling flights (4 hours to Minneapolis, 4 hour layover, 8 hour flight to London) we are here. It's a good thing we're on a tour after today because right now we're doing a lot of what do you want to do, I don't know, what do you want to do -- I know we want to do the British Museum. And we have found out that even though planes are very loud that there are actually people (well in this case one guy) who can snore louder than the plane -- and I'm not talking about Tom and me. Driving to the hotel here it struck me that it sure does look a lot like Doctor Who. So stay tuned -- we're off to walk around now -- and we're having Indian food for dinner. So yum and I'll try and post again tomorrow. Oh and also HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHIEMI -- to be honest I don't know if that is today or yesterday or tomorrow -- but I'm pretty sure it's the 14th.

Fun day

I had a good day today. Candace Saylors came up yesterday and spent the night at our house (just because she hasn't been able to come down since her family moved even though her brothers have). So this morning after walking around the Downey street fair and farmer's market (oh so exciting, as I'm sure you guessed), we went and saw Wolverine! Oh he is so hot and I enjoyed the movie a lot (though not just because of his hotness)! ^_^

After the movie Candace, my mom and I went down to window shop at Fashion Island where we proceeded to have Pinkberry! (What day out is complete without it?!) Before we left we went into Neiman Marcus and MAN is stuff crazy expensive for no reason since all that designer stuff is really ugly. We found a HIDEOUS pair of shoes for about $1800!!! (>_<) And a purse for something like $4500!!!!! (O_o) And the purse was not anything special at all, just like all those other bags only it was Dior. Crazy, crazy people who buy those, that's all I can say. It baffles me, really.

After we were done we went to Roger's Gardens to look around a bit. Then we took Candace home but not before stopping by Fry's because I needed to get something there. Then I got to see the Saylor's home for the first time and it is a very nice place. (And I hope Candace really enjoyed everything since everything we did was completely new to her.)

After we took Candace home we went home but stopped by the Hat for dinner (man those pastrami sandwiches are good) which we took home for my dad too. We the watched Ghost Town which was really cute and very funny. And that is my fun day.

Birthday Saturday

[Beware: Long and with lots of pictures in this post]

It was great weather at the Renaissance Faire today! Nice and sunny but with a wonderful, cold breeze. We got there first thing at 10 and went straight to get our hair done in elaborate braids. We both got the same braid, but it's amazing how different they can look.

I have to say, that I was disappointed that the braiding wenches didn’t speak in the old English way with the accents and everything…there seemed to be several new girls there or something. And the usually story teller wench that is a lot of fun was not there either. (though she was at the faire, I saw her at a booth later as we were leaving)

After that (90 minutes later), we went and got some yummy lunch before heading off to see the sites. We had a Toad-in-a-Hole (sausage wrapped in a pastry-like covering....Very tasty...[pictured below]), curly fries (which were not my favorite) and water (exciting huh? ^_^).

After that we headed in more and started to work our way out from the center by looking at the shops. We also decided that we just had to try the physical skills games they had including axe throwing, javelin throwing and crossbows. They were quite fun. Vicki managed to get three axes in the targets while I managed to get only one of ten in, but my one equals her three since I managed to get mine in handle-end first.

After the axe we tried the javelin and Vicki stank at it. She couldn't even throw it far enough to hit the wall of hay. I can't boast and say I was loads better than her or anything but I did manage to get the monster in it's foot. I'm sure that hurt it big time. (Take that monster!!!) It is way harder to throw than it looks like in movies and stuff. Hurt my elbow and lower back a bit too. After that we gave the crossbow a try and we were both ok at it. We both almost got the arrow in the center but never quite made it.

[See it writhing in agony?!?!]

After we were finished with the games we finished heading out, but not before getting ourselves dessert to share...Sin on a Stick!! It is SOOO delicious. Chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick (really good quality chocolate and cheesecake...that's hard to find). I just love it. Vicki seemed to enjoy it too! ^_^

Later that night (after I took a nice nap when watching a movie) my parents, Brett and I met Christy and Tom for dinner at El Torito Grille (SUCH good food there...I LOVE the tortillas). Christy and Tom had been at Disneyland earlier and they got me a birthday hat that has my name on it and Mickey ears and a birthday pin! Very cute though Christy was upset I didn't put it on because I didn't want to mess my hair up.

That was a wonderful meal with wonderful food. (Though you notice that I didn't mention Kellie...she didn't love me enough to come. j/k!! She had some friends over this weekend and was unable to get away.) I really enjoyed what I got for dinner...Chipotle Barbeque Shrimp. Delicious. After I got a free flan from them for my b-day (which was a surprise, but tasty, though very rich so I only has a few bites), we headed over to the great land of frozen bliss, Pinkberry!!

So that was my exciting birthday Saturday!!

Of new clothes and origami

Ok, I'm finally getting around to blogging about some clothes I got a couple of weeks ago.

The first one is the hot little number I got when I was on spring break and went shopping with the intent of buying something. It had been so long since I got new clothes that I wanted SOMEthing new. Kudos to my mom who after I walked past it, took it off the rack and showed it to me. I thought it was super cute, tried it on and loved it. (and Kudos to her for buying it for me too ^_~)


(and props to me for figuring out my camera to be able to take my own pictures ^_^)

Next is a fun (and totally true) t-shirt my dad got for me when he was looking at those websites with funny t-shirts and I walked by, started looking at them with him and saw it and we said, that's perfect! It was nice of him, so Kudos to you too, dad!



This last is just so I can have proof for Timmy Grow that I actually did take one of his sacrament meeting program origami roses. I tried getting out of taking it but he said I never take them so I said, fine. You want proof I took them? I'll take this one and blog about it so I don't have to take any more. >_<

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNIE!!!!

Happy birthday to you . . . Happy birthday to you . . . Happy birthday dear Jennnnnnnnnie . . . happy birthday to you!

I hope this is a wonderful day for you, a wonderful weekend full of yummy El Torito Grill and Pinkberry goodness, and the beginning of a year which will make all of your dreams, hopes and aspirations come to fruition.

With love, hugs and kisses on your special day!

Christy (and Tom)

Excitement!

It was a fun day, and I wasn't even expecting it to be great. Vicki and I dropped a truckload of old electronics to Komputers 4 R Kids this morning (took a lot of work to load up that truck to make enough room for everything). She shanghaied me into going with her. I told her I had no problem going so long as we got Pinkberry after. ^_^

So when we were finished dropping the stuff off, we headed over to La Habra and had lunch at Corner Bakery and Pinkberry for dessert. It was all very delicious and I think I managed to be good diet-wise. Yay, me. So then we had some time before she had to get back so we went to Michael's (where I bought a couple new cross-stitching kits) and Borders (because I wanted to see if I could find anything interesting...which I didn't)

Fortunately, in the end, Vicki found some magazines she wanted to buy there and after she paid, the cashier gave us something we'd never even THINK that they would hand out there...two free Renaissance tickets!!



To make a long story short, it looks like we're going to be going on the 25th of this month. Probably just for the morning, since I plan to have dinner out for my b-day that night. But it will let me have the chance to get my hair braided all prettily for the weekend.

All in all, a very fun day. Getting those tickets makes me laugh every time I think about it. >_<

Natalie's Puzzle

Okay here's a jumble. You figure out what the word is, you take the letters which are marked by the O and unscramble them to find the answer to the question. Okay? So if the letters are renifd and the circles are o--o-- then the answer is friend and the letters are f and e. Okay. The scrambled words are:
voars OO--O; cueji ---00; lanite OO---O; herths OO-O-- and the question is When she dumped her filthy rich husband, she took him to --- --------.

Okay -- I messed up the reading list

Thank heavens for Jennie. Okay. April we are discussing Persuasion and reading Jane Austen Book Club. May we are discussing Jane Austen Book Club and reading Just So Stories. June we are discussing Just So Stories and reading Gone With The Wind. The dates, times and place are the same.

Blankets with sleeves!

I just had to make a shout out after Brett sent me this article.

Ultimate Battle

If you are too lazy to read the article, I'll sum it up by saying of all they types of blankets with sleeves out there the Slanket is the best one (unless you like wool and are willing to spend $330 or so on one).

My grandma must have really good taste since she got me a Slanket for Christmas last year! I love it! It keeps me warm and I can still work on my computer while using it! What a great invention! (Man, I'm so easy to please.)

WE MADE IT!!!

Our final book club meeting for Jane Austen's Persuasion will be on

Date: April 18, 2009
Time: 2:00 PM
Place: Same

During April we will be reading Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories -- and on our next book club meeting we will be watching The Jane Austen Book Club as to my knowledge there is no Just So Stories movie.

Date: May 30, 2009
Time: 2:00 PM
Place: Same

Our next book will be Gone With the Wind (one of my faves).

March Book Club

March book: Northanger Abbey
Date: March 28, 2009
Same place, same bat channel

We had a meeting and discussed future books to read now that we are almost through with Jane Austen and our schedule for the rest of the year is:

April: Persuasion, Jane Austen
May: Jane Austen Book Club, Karen Joy Fowler
June: Just So Stories, Rudyard Kipling
July: Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
August: Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
September: Crocodile on the Sandbank, Elizabeth Peters
October: To Kill a Mocking Bird, Harper Lee
November: Cheaper by the Dozen, Frank Gilbreth
December: No book

So come and join us -- it is really a lot of fun!

Bran muffins and humming

Oh my gosh! I'm blogging!! ^_^

First I have to say that I managed to work my way around my laziness a couple weeks ago and actually bake some bran muffins! Boy are those thing delicious. I don't know why they are so stinkin good. And on Valentine's weekend Dustin, Chiemi and those 2 adorable girls came down to visit us! And then I decided that I love bran muffins so much I was willing to make another batch (this batch I used some heart shaped muffin cups that my mom had). I then found out that my little nieces LOVE bran muffins too. They just gobbled up 2 each on Saturday. It made me even more glad that I did bake them. (though I have to say I was kinda sad since they went so fast and I didn't get to eat as many as I did with the previous batch.)

Ok...and another thing I have to say about tonight's amusing events. The 'rents and I watched Igor (cute movie...much more funny than I expected) and it had one of my most hated songs sung a lot in it (Vicki, you should definitely know what I'm talking about). But the funny part isn't that. The funny thing is that as we were having family prayer afterwards, right in the middle of my mom saying the prayer, my dad busts out and starts humming that song randomly. It totally made my mom pause and ALL of us were kinda thinking...what the heck? Is he HUMMING?! Even my dad admitted to to being baffled as to why he did it. He blames the movie because it is all about evil. I have to agree what with them torturing me with that horrid song. ^_~

On a sadder note, my WoW account has expired for a couple months since school is back in session. ::sigh:: That is such a fun game. I wouldn't suggest anyone try it because it is pretty addictive. Which is why I make myself take a break from it during school. School...I dislike it, but it is necessary. I anticipate that my classes are going to be hard for me this semester. Glad that most of my professors seem to be pretty funny and interesting with these subjects. Well, I can only hope for the best.

Well, I'm going to add a pic of my bran muffins when I get a chance to get my pics off my camera. Hopefully for you all, I will have something to write about soon and not in another few months. Til next time! ::muah::

(fine print: for those of you who were wondering as to "the song" it was "Tomorrow" from Annie ::shudder::)

FEBRUARY BOOK CLUB

February book club (to discuss Emma) will be:

Date: February 21, 2009
Time: 10:00 AM
Place: My house

Next book (Janet -- for March not February) will be Northanger Abbey.